ESK - OT3:
Disclaimer: The OT3 materials are copyrighted by the Church of Scientology. We know that. In fact, we're really, really, really sick of hearing about just how copyrighted they are. This page does not contain links to the actual OT3 materials, and does not contain any copyrighted material except that which is protected by the Fair Use clause. What you'll find here is a synopsis of the OT3 basics in our own words, and a short discussion of how we feel about them.

What ARE the 'OT3 materials'?
This may be really difficult for lower-level Scientologists to believe, but here goes: In the OT3 materials basically say that 75 million years ago, an evil being named Xenu decided to solve a population problem on his galactic colony by exiling a bunch of people to Earth. ...But that really only took care of the physical problem - Xenu didn't just want the bodies gone, he wanted to make sure the 'thetans' (spirits / souls) of those people didn't come back and reincarnate on his colony. So when the souls started leaving the bodies, he captured the souls and forced them into a huge implant station that was kind of like a movie theatre. There, he made them watch movies that 'implanted' them with false pictures of Christ, and other historical events that Hubbard says didn't actually happen.
The souls were so screwed up from this implanting that they roamed aimlessly around Earth for millions of years. When human beings started evolving, the thetans started entering their bodies and inhabiting them, and thus these thetans are called 'body thetans'. And body thetans, says Hubbard, are the source of all human misery. The practical portion of OT3 involves getting rid of these body thetans. The PC uses the Emeter to locate body thetans that are stuck to his body, and talk to them, auditing them until they blow (go away). All subsequent OT levels after OT3 also deal with body thetans.
Bullshit.
No, seriously. We've seen the evidence.
But if that's true, why do ALL Scientologists deny that that's what's on OT3?
To be honest, we're not totally sure why upper-level Scientologists insist on publicly denying the fact that the OT materials have anything to do with Xenu. I mean, c'mon guys. The cat is so totally out of the bag. I mean, the cat has been out of the bag so long that if you asked the cat about the bag, the cat would be like, "Oh, the BAG? That was forever ago." And then the cat would roll its eyes and go back to being out of the bag. cute.
Lower level Scientologists who have not yet reached OT3, however, deny it because they really, truly, factually, honestly, utterly don't know. They've probably never even heard of Xenu or body thetans, or if they *have*, the only people they've ever heard about it from were non-Scientologists. Even if they are repeatedly told by strangers and non-Scientologists that Xenu is at the core of OT3, they think, "Well, that can't be true. I've been in Scientology for years, and I've never heard mention of any 'Xenu'. This guy's not even a Scientologist - what does he know?" Most lower-level Scientologists find reference to Xenu and aliens ridiculous.
So what you end up with here is an entire society of people who will deny to the death that the OT3 materials contain any reference to Xenu - the higher-ups because they don't want to get in trouble, and the lower-downs because they really don't know about it.
Why are the materials so secret within the church?
Well, there's the Scientologist answer to that question and the skeptical answer to that question.
The Scientologist answer is that if you're not spiritually ready to read the materials, and you look at them anyway, you could die, or at the very least, ruin your case (make yourself unable to have further Scientology auditing).
The skeptical answer is that if Scientology let people read those materials before they're fully indoctrinated into the church's ideology, they'll leave. The point has been made that the OT3 materials aren't any "weirder" than any other religion. We'll leave the decision on that one up to you.
We at ESK think that making fun of Xenu all the time is really missing the point. If Scientologists want to believe in Xenu, they're welcome to do so. What really ought to be criticized are the practices of Scientology management, such as physical abuse in the Sea Org [ Scientology cult's "Sea Org": Tax-exempt child abuse, coerced abortions, internal prisons : Indybay: abuses that go on daily in the Scientology's 'Sea Org' and its internal prison system, the 'Rehabilitation Project Force' (RPF) ] denial of basic medical services, disconnection from family & friends ~ suppressive persons, and other issues of malfeasance. yes.


family-alt ~ bcs attempts at family, community ~ vulnerable to becoming cults. meaning what? controlling. possessive. exclusive. even a small group of friends, as in just-read Likeness by Tana French, that is wh int'd me: 'No Pasts' - request for some kind of 'total' commitment to the group.


religioustolerance.org: Unification Church: organized in 1954 in Seoul, South Korea by Rev. Sun Myung Moon. followers often called Moonies by persons outside of the Association; term considered derogatory by its members, who refer to themselves as Unificationists.
The Church and the Counter-cult/anti-cult movements:
Their core, dedicated members accept strong discipline and can develop a deep commitment to the church. The group can become their whole life, the source of their religious, cultural, social, and other support systems. If they become disillusioned by some aspect of the church, this minority of unusually dedicated members can find it very difficult to leave the organization and abandon these support networks. When they do leave, they are often angry with themselves and the church, believing that they have wasted perhaps years of their life within the group. This problem is common to all high intensity denominations which require major commitment to the group. e.g. Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, and (for priests and nuns) the Roman Catholic Church.

Cult - Wkp: Some anthropologists and sociologists studying cults have argued that no one has yet been able to define “cult” in a way that enables the term to identify only groups that have been identified as problematic. However, without the 'problematic' concern, scientific criteria of characteristics attributed to cults do exist. A little-known example is the Alexander and Rollins, 1984, scientific study concluding that the socially well-received group Alcoholics Anonymous is a cult by using the model of Lifton's thought reform techniques and applying those to AA group’s indoctrination methodology. Even though the elements exist, several researchers have pointed out the benefit of the organization.
1.3Psychological definition: Studies of the psychological aspects of cults focus on the individual person, and factors relating to the choice to become involved as well as the subsequent effects on individuals - especially coercive persuasion which suppresses the ability of people to reason, think critically, and make choices in their own best interest:
1. People are put in physically or emotionally distressing situations;
2. Their problems are reduced to one simple explanation, which is repeatedly emphasized;
3. They receive unconditional love, acceptance, and attention from a charismatic leader;
4. They get a new identity based on the group;
5. They are subject to entrapment (isolation from friends, relatives, and the mainstream culture) and their access to information is severely controlled.